Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers are invited to apply for State Library of Queensland’s annual black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowships.

Two successful applicants will each be awarded $10,000 prize money, professional manuscript development working with State Library’s black&write! Indigenous editors, and a valuable publishing deal with respected Indigenous publishing house Magabala Books.

The Fellowships are open to manuscript entries in the form of a novel, short story collection, poetry collection, or children’s book, from both published and unpublished Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers.

State Librarian Janette Wright said since 2010, the black&write! Indigenous Writing and Editing project has already contributed significantly to fostering a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing community in Australia.

“State Library’s national black&write! project has begun to have a real impact on contemporary Indigenous Australian literature — across all areas of writing, editing and publishing,” she said.

Arts Minister Ian Walker said black&write! has expanded the opportunities available to Australia’s Indigenous writers.

“It’s important to raise the profile of this talent so all Australians can share and celebrate the rich history of Australian storytelling, whatever the medium.”

The 2014 Fellows, first-time author Adrian Stanley and distinguished playwright Jane Harrison have been working on their manuscripts with the black&write! editors since May, with their works set to be published by Magabala Books next year.

Winners of the 2013 black&write! kuril dhagun Prize, former rugby player Scott Prince and Logan schoolteacher Dave Hartley, have just been awarded Book of the Year in the Indigenous children’s books category by Speech Pathology Australia.

They join a growing list of prize winning black&write! authors, including Ali Cobby Eckermann who won the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry and the Book of the Year Award at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards in 2013.

The 2015 winners will see their manuscripts developed and edited by the black&write! Indigenous editing team, including two new editing interns to be appointed later this year with support from Australia Council for the Arts.